7 Biggest England Wins in History (Ranked)

England are the joint-oldest international team in world football. The Three Lions’ first match was against Scotland on 5th March 1870. This was an unofficial game, though, and it wasn’t until two years later that the two teams played each other again in the first official international friendly, which finished 0-0 at Hamilton Crescent. Since then, England have featured in 27 major tournaments, winning the World Cup in 1966 and losing in two consecutive European Championship finals, in 2020 and 2024.

Despite their misfortune in major tournaments, England have still enjoyed some significant victories in their 152-year history. A few years ago, they beat San Marino 10-0 away from home, which was their fifth-biggest win ever. The four wins that were by a bigger margin took place in the 19th and 20th centuries. Here is an in-depth look at the biggest wins in the history of the England national football team.

7

Portugal 0-10 England

25th May 1947

England’s 10-0 victory against Portugal was record-breaking in more ways than one. After only 17 seconds, Tommy Lawton opened the scoring, which at the time was the quickest goal in the nation’s history. This has now been bettered by both Bill Nicholson and Lawton himself, who scored after 16 and 12 seconds, respectively.

Lawton scored a hat-trick after only 38 minutes in this game, putting the Three Lions 5-0 up at half-time. After the break, Stan Mortenson, who was making his first England cap, was the star man. He scored four in the game, with the last goal coming in the 77th minute. Legendary Blackpool forward Stanley Matthews scored the 10th in the 85th minute, capping off a significant win against their European opposition.

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6

United States 0-10 England

27th May 1964

After losing 1-0 to the United States in the 1950 World Cup, which was one of the country’s most embarrassing defeats in the competition, England were keen to avenge the result in a friendly against the same opposition in 1964. Both Roger Hunt and Fred Pickering scored hat-tricks for the Three Lions in this game, with seven of the 10 goals for the Three Lions coming in the second half.

Meanwhile, Fred Pickering made his England debut in front of just over 5,000 people in New York. He made a perfect start to his international career, scoring in the 72nd minute. Hunt scored the last goal of the game 12 minutes later to secure the Three Lions’ biggest ever win against the USA.

5

San Marino 0-10 England

15th November 2021

The most recent addition to this list is England’s 10-0 victory against San Marino in November 2021. Gareth Southgate’s side knew that a win would secure their place at the 2022 World Cup. They started off quickly with goals from Harry Maguire and four from striker Harry Kane in the first half. After the break, Emile Smith Rowe, Tyrone Mings, Tammy Abraham and Bukayo Saka ensured that the Three Lions scored double figures for the first time since the match against the USA in 1964.

Four days before the game, England beat Albania 5-0, with Kane also scoring three goals. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker became the fourth player to score a hat-trick for his country in consecutive matches, alongside Vivian Woodward, Dixie Dean and Tommy Taylor.

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4

Austria 1-11 England

8th June 1908

In the summer of 1908, England travelled to Vienna to play Austria in a friendly. At half-time, the Three Lions found themselves 5-0 up thanks to goals from Vivian Woodward, Jimmy Windridge, Jock Rutherford and Frank Bradshaw. They added six goals to their tally after the interval, including another two from Bradshaw. It was the former Everton and Arsenal forward’s one and only appearance for England.

Woodward ended up scoring four in this match, while Austria scored a consolation goal in the 78th minute through Friedrich Hirschl. The dominant 11-1 victory was two days after the teams had played each other in Vienna. It was less convincing on that occasion, as the Three Lions ran out 6-1 winners.

3

England 12-2 Netherlands

21st December 1907

England inflicted the Netherlands’ heaviest defeat in their history in 1907. The Three Lions scored 12 against the Dutch, scoring five first-half goals from Woodward, Harry Stapley and Arthur Bell. After the interval, Stapley scored another three goals in seven minutes before Woodward, Bell and James Raine extended the lead. Cas Ruffelse scored a brace for the visitors, but this wasn’t enough to stop a record-breaking defeat for the Netherlands.

This was a tough period for Oranje as they succumbed to an 8-1 defeat to the same opposition earlier in 1907. Two years later, they lost 9-1 to the Three Lions, which remains their second-heaviest defeat ever, behind the result in December 1907.

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2

England 13-2 Northern Ireland

18th February 1899

England’s 13-2 victory against Northern Ireland was the biggest ever in Home Championship history. The tournament was founded in 1884 and eventually demolished 100 years later. In the 1888/89 edition, the Three Lions won all three matches, starting with the dominant victory against Northern Ireland. Both Gilbert Smith and Jimmy Settle scored hat-tricks, with eight of the 13 goals coming in the second half.

It could have been a bigger victory for England, as Jimmy Crabtree missed a penalty after the break. They then beat Wales and Scotland in their final two matches to secure a ninth British Home Championship title. Northern Ireland were able to brush off the disappointment of the 13-2 defeat, beating Wales 1-0 a month later.

1

Northern Ireland 0-13 England

18th February 1882

On 18th February 1882, Northern Ireland played their first international match at Bloomfield, Belfast. Their opponents, England, were the overwhelming favourites given the inexperience of the Irish, and it showed with the Three Lions scoring 13. Arthur Brown and Howard Vaughton proved to be a thorn in Northern Ireland’s side, both scoring five goals.

Jimmy Brown and Charlie Bambridge also got on the scoresheet against an opposition who had only had two seasons of practice together. After the match, it was reported that the two teams had dinner together at a local restaurant in Donegall Place. Two days later, The Times released the following report:

Information gathered from Transfermarkt and England Football Online – Correct as of 19/11/24.